15 Best And Worst Thanksgiving Foods For Your Weight

For some, the stress of Thanksgiving day isn't only from preparing in the kitchen, but eating. The thoughts of how many calories or how much food you'll be consuming can be overwhelming. Thankfully Reader's Digest has released a detailed list on the healthiest Thanksgiving staples to indulge in, and other dishes to enjoy in moderation. According to Reader's Digest's piece, here are the "15 Classic Thanksgiving Foods, Ranked from Best to Worst for Your Weight."

• Cooked spinach: 41 calories per one cup; The Pros - A generous portion of this keeps your appetite under control for less calories and more vitamins than some bread. Each cup offers five grams of protein. The Cons - The spinach could be loaded with hidden calories depending on what its prepared with, so stick to a balsamic vinegar topping, for only 14 calories per tablespoon.
• Brussels sprouts: 56 calories per one cup; The Pros - Four grams of protein per cup, which will help control cravings throughout dinner, in addition to providing 195 percent of vitamin K and 125 percent of vitamin C needs for the day. The Cons - Not everyone enjoys the taste of this dish.
• Gravy: 61 calories, 2.5 grams of fat per half-cup; The Pros - In moderation, it's tasty. The Cons - It adds to your plate's fat count, but if you make gravy from scratch, refrigerate before serving and skim off the fat that solidifies on top with a spoon and reheat.
• Corn on the cob: 95 calories (with a pat of butter); The Pros - An ear of corn has about the same number of calories as an apple, but with less than a quarter of the sugar. It also has about three grams dietary fiber per ear. The Cons - A "pat of butter" adds 36 calories to your cob. A tablespoon? That's 102 extra calories, and too much added salt can lead to belly bloat.
• Green bean casserole: 110 calories, eight grams of fat per 2/3 cup; The Pros - Not as high in calories as other Thanksgiving side dishes. The Cons - Most recipes for this dish call for processed ingredients, such as canned soup and processed cheese, that can be high in sodium and fat, including saturated and trans. For every 2 percent of calories from trans fat consumed daily, your risk of heart disease rises by 23 percent.
• Sweetened cranberry sauce: 110 calories, 22 grams of sugar per 1/4 cup; The Pros - Cranberry sauce generally has little to no fat and may be a good substitute for gravy and other sauces. The Cons - It's high in sugar and packs many calories.
• White wine: 121 calories per glass; The Pros - Lower in calories than red wine or beer. The Cons - Reader's Digest says a study from Iowa State University and Cornell University found that white wine drinkers pour 9.2 percent more into their glass than do red wine drinkers (maybe because clear wine makes it seem like there's less in a glass).
• Red Wine: 125 calories per glass; The Pros - Less sugar than white wine. Studies have shown "normal-weight" women who enjoyed a glass or two of red wine a day were 30 percent less likely to be overweight than nondrinkers. Related studies have suggested that a compound present in red wine and grapes may inhibit the development of fat cells. The Cons - Calories start to add up if you have more than one glass.
• Turkey breast without skin (about 3.5 ounces): 127 calories, 2 grams of fat; The Pros - White turkey meat (wings and breast) has fewer calories and less fat than dark meat (thighs). It packs about 30 grams of protein per 3.5-ounce serving. The Cons - Turkey breast has lower levels of vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, thiamine, and vitamins B6 and B12 than dark meat.
• Dark turkey meat with skin (about 3.5 ounces): 206 calories, 10 grams of fat; The Pros - Dark meat is still a good source of filling protein (about 27 g per 3.5-ounce serving). It also delivers more iron than turkey breast with 11 percent of the daily value, compared to seven percent in turkey breast. The Cons - Leave the skin on? Then you'll highly increase the amount of saturated fat on your plate.
• Biscuits: 212 calories; The Pros - Use healthy alternatives when baking these. For example, instead of using sour cream, you can sub in Greek yogurt to lower the fat and calorie count. The Cons - Without any healthy tweaks, biscuits are essentially flour, baking powder, salt, butter, and milk or cream, which bring in a lot of calories with a low amount of nutritional value.
• Mashed potatoes with whole milk and margarine: 237 calories, nine grams of fat per cup; The Pros - A cup offers three grams of healthy fiber, a good amount of vitamin C, vitamin B, and minerals including potassium, magnesium, and iron. The Cons - The main culprit in high-calorie, high-fat mashed potatoes are the add-ins (whole milk and margarine). Reader's Digest says by preparing mashed potatoes with just whole milk, and no margarine, you can save 73 calories and eight grams of fat per cup.
• Pumpkin pie: 316 calories, 14 g fat per slice; The Pros - Pumpkin itself is low in calories and packed with fiber, which means more satiety and a lower chance of cravings later in the evening. The Cons - The crust's butter and flour, along with cream and sugar required for the filling, make for a large dose of saturated fat and calories. Before you go for seconds, keep this in mind: It would take a 32-minute run to burn off the calories in one slice.
• Stuffing: 390 calories, 24 g fat per cup; The Pros - Cook it in a separate dish outside of the turkey and save yourself 70 calories per tablespoon. The Cons - Use whole wheat bread instead of white bread, and Granny Smith apples rather than cranberries.
• Apple Pie: 411 calories, 19 g of fat per slice; The Pros - Looking forward to an indulgence for dessert could encourage you to make healthier decisions (like swapping out potatoes for spinach) throughout the rest of the meal. The Cons - With its buttery crust and sugary filling, one slice of apple pie has more calories than a plate of turkey breast with gravy, buttery corn on the cob, and a glass of red wine.

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More information: rd.com

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